Left my cast iron on the hot burner, now what?
So the other day, while baking off excess water after washing, I spaced out and forgot it was there and headed upstairs for say, an hour. When I got back down the pan had a white-ish ring in the center. After cooling and scrubbing it down it appeared that the seasoning had been vaporized in the area that has the ring.
I oiled the pan to prevent rusting and haven't gotten back to it in a week or so.
My question is: Should I remove the seasoning from the rest of the pan or should I just re-season the whole thing? If I should remove the seasoning, what is the best way, I think I read some on here but I haven't been able to get back to it. I recall possibly using the clean cycle of the oven?
There's plenty of info on here about seasoning so don't worry about that!
Feel free to make jabs at the space cadet too, I beat myself up about it until I realized the pan wasn't completely ruined!
Best Answer
Personally, I'd just season the pan a couple times to cover the spot; it seems excessive to strip off all the other seasoning and start from scratch unless the pan is really deeply rusted.
Other people may feel differently, of course; there are as many opinions about caring for cast-iron as there are people that own it.
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What happens if you leave cast iron on the stove?
If you leave your empty cast iron pan on the stove, you might find that it will have some rusty flakes coming off. This is the seasoning of your cast iron pan getting burned off from the high heat of the stove.Can cast iron be damaged by heat?
There are several ways a piece of cast iron cookware can be damaged, as noted above: chipping, cracking, warping, and pitting. The first two can be caused by physical impact; the second two by improper rapid heating or cooling, also known as thermal shock.How do you fix a burnt cast iron skillet?
For a gentle but effective scrub, take a tip from the spa and use salt. Generously sprinkle kosher salt or coarse sea salt into the pan and scrub it with a clean, damp washcloth. For extra stubborn spots, use a plastic pan scraper to work the burned food off the pan.How do I know if I ruined my cast iron?
If a crack appears in your cast iron pan, it's time to ditch it. Even a hairline crack will expand and contract when heated and cooled, and ultimately the pan will split\u2014a potentially dangerous situation if it happens during cooking!The Easy Guide On Seasoning and Restoring Cast Iron
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Answer 2
I got rid of most of the spot by coating the pan with oil and scrubbing with a wad of aluminum foil. I did it twice rinsing in between treatments.
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Images: Erik Mclean, Milan, Kateryna Babaieva, Kateryna Babaieva